Our Philosophy on our Wood

So you’ve been on our site a few times, you follow our Instagram and Facebook, maybe you have even seen us at Lotus Blooms or one of the local shows like Smut Slam DC. The pieces are cool looking. They feel good in your hand. They make one hell of a mark. But, why the hell did we pick those woods? What is so special about Purpleheart? Or Zebrawood? Or Jatoba?

The first things that we look for when it comes to selecting the right wood for our toys are the Janka Wood Hardness rating, durability, and rot resistance. Now if you have never heard of the Janka test, it is where they press a steel ball into a piece of wood and gauge how much pressure it takes for the ball to sink halfway into the wood. Pretty damn kinky, right? Sounds like someone could have a pretty good Saturday night. For most projects we don’t need to buy the hardest wood available. In fact, we try to get a range of woods with different ratings because, their overall hardness will affect if the toy delivers more stingy pain or more thuddy pain. This allows us to pick a piece that will take (and give) a beating while catering to people who prefer different feelings from their pieces.

Durability and rot resistance actually go hand-in-hand. Most people think durability means whether the lumber can take physical damage or not. But, that’s why we have the Janka rating as a standard of measure. Instead, durability and rot resistance has to do with how well the lumber can weather the elements like sun, moisture, bugs, etc. Most of the lumbers we use range from durable to very durable. This scale measures how long they last when they come in direct contact with the ground and the outside elements on a consistent basis. They can thrive from 15 – 25 years for durable pieces and 25+ years for pieces considered very durable. So, imagine what that means for your toy that you are going to take great care of?

As you can tell from the pieces you have seen, it’s not just about how the wood feels. It’s about the aesthetic too. We aim to pick pieces that pop, that have interesting grain patterns, and are a good representation of colors. We want the wood to have the best color that occurs naturally because we don’t believe in staining woods to get different colors. By staining a piece, we would ruin the body safe nature of the material we use as well as the finishing agent. This is why selecting lumber that has the best natural colors is imperative.

By picking lumbers that have a nice hardness (heh), good durability and rot resistance, as well a beautiful, natural look the pieces we create should last you decades with proper care. While we realize this may not be the smartest business model for us, we’d rather give you a high quality work of art that allows you to truly indulge in your deepest desires. This way you get the piece of mind that you will not be limited by the equipment you use but, only your own imagination and pain threshold.